Cisco Duo's main use case is with Federal, specifically a version for the government, positioned side-by-side with Okta. Originally, it was implemented with the Department of Defense, which ran the traditional Oracle IAM. Someone convinced them that the Oracle IAM was obsolete, so they decided to reverse engineer the entire system. The migration involved reverse engineering the Oracle IAM into Cisco Duo and Okta, transitioning from on-premises to the cloud while maintaining integration with Oracle Cloud due to their heavy investment in Oracle Cloud for EBS, HCM, and enterprise ERP systems.
Cisco Duo - Advantage Edition
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Strong zero trust security has supported complex federal IAM migrations and multi‑cloud access
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The best features of Cisco Duo include easy integration. I could do a lot of things with Cisco Duo comprehensively. Multiple types of MFA are available, and the fact that it passed the certification with the Department of Defense gave Cisco Duo an A+.
I use Cisco Duo's Advanced Identity Threat Detection and Response feature, which includes all the necessary counterparts. It has the intelligence to detect threats, performs risk assessment, and then provides a score to determine whether someone is legitimately attempting to sign in.
This feature has been helpful because it validates while maintaining trust. The trust but verify design principle is fundamental. Cisco Duo includes the Zero Trust Architecture, where everything lists a privilege, and from there, Privileged Access Management applies. If you want to elevate someone and give them additional privileges, the system handles that process.
What needs improvement?
I have not had the chance to rate Cisco Duo's support because I pass my documentation to the group responsible for creating tickets, as being a contractor, I don't have the account permissions to create tickets myself. I document everything with screenshots and pass it along. Based on what I heard regarding their response, Cisco Duo's support is pretty good. They are responsive and accurate in their responses, and they do their homework. This is one thing I now observe as a stark contrast with Oracle, where the support experience is terrible. You need to create a ticket, and then I have to call back and create another ticket just to monitor the first ticket. With no responses on those two, I had to create a third ticket to monitor the second ticket. I created about 33 tickets on this IAM thing because there was an intermediary, Accenture Federal. I created about 33 tickets just to monitor the previous tickets, and no resolution was given. I came up with my own solution.
I am not involved with Cisco Duo's pricing, so I am the person where they said, 'We bought this product, go ahead and do your magic.'
For how long have I used the solution?
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is stable and reliable in my opinion. The fact that it goes into production means it goes through the ATO process, where everybody tests it and different groups conduct their own testing. I have not encountered any issues unless we patch the environment. The only downtime I have encountered is during patching, but that is not due to Cisco Duo. That is part of the maintenance standard operating procedure.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is pretty scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Based on what I heard regarding their response, Cisco Duo's support is pretty good. They are responsive and accurate in their responses, and they do their homework.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The main differences between Cisco Duo and Okta for IAM solutions are that Okta does not have an exclusive product tagged as Federal. It depends on the person designing it. The way I made Okta comparable with Cisco Duo Federal is by attaching it to CAC, which is used by the military as military ID. That is the only way it becomes federal level because you are using another form of identification. With Cisco Duo, it is embedded within the system. However, somehow, the Department of Defense got sold on the idea that Okta is the way to go. Gradually, Cisco Duo is there because of Cisco. The name Cisco behind it makes it a really powerful product.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with Cisco Duo across different IGA and IAM security products including Oracle IAM, Okta, SailPoint, Ping, Cisco Duo, Active Directory, and Entra ID, which is Microsoft's offering.
My experience with Cisco Duo's strong security authentication system has been good. It is seamless and easy to integrate. It is flexible.
Cisco Duo's IAM is evolving because it now includes AI. I am not sure if I have fully used OAuth, the authorization component. I think it is there, but I just have not fully played with it. The OAuth, OpenID, and SAML are all present, but this IAM is evolving.
I have not had the chance to use Cisco Duo's conversational AI interface for administration tasks. Everything now is AI-enabled, but the government is very cautious about that. It is a switch that you can turn off and turn on if you want it.
The passwordless environment has been the subject of a huge debate about passwords. I even gave a presentation with the Department of Energy, and they did not like the way I presented it. I made a joke and said, 'With passwords, you need to extract the blood of the person you want to authenticate, aside from the password,' and they did not like that. They said it was too bloody. With passwordless authentication, FIDO 1, 2, and 3 are the direction everything is going. Everything is keys now, anywhere, and tokens. That is why Oracle IAM was dropped from the equation.
Cisco Duo is hybrid. First, they want to see it on-premises, and from there, it evolves because of the way things are deployed. They start with the application, the databases are on-premises, and then the applications are moved to the cloud. That becomes a hybrid situation, and then one by one, the databases are transported to the cloud.
When you work on government projects, everything is there with Cisco Duo. AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle FedRAMP are all available. It is multi-cloud.
I would rate this review a 9 overall.
Strong security controls have met strict financial compliance and simplify multifactor access
What is our primary use case?
I usually work with clients in the financial sector. Many of those clients need to meet certain security requirements that are mandated by their auditor or recommended by their auditor, which is dual multifactor authentication. That is usually the reason why they first look at Cisco Duo, and then I pitch Cisco Duo to those customers for authentication into most of their financial applications as well as VPN access.
It is very commonly used for VPN access.
What is most valuable?
I think seamless login, as well as less administrative overhead in terms of managing users and their login credentials and passwords, and tighter security are valuable.
The main thing is it helps the customers meet their security requirements.
Cisco Duo is very easy to deploy. The documentation is very thorough, which makes deployment straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The only area I could think of is support for more applications. Cisco Duo already covers a wide range of apps, especially the common ones, but there is always room to add more.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have 27 years of experience in this field. I have been using Cisco Duo for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Duo has excellent stability, as is usual with Cisco products.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I work for a company that is a Cisco Duo reseller, so scalability has not been an issue.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service has been excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have never used a previous solution before Cisco Duo.
How was the initial setup?
What about the implementation team?
Since the company I work for is a Cisco Duo reseller, I did not need an external implementation team.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment is positive and is not a problem.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to other vendors, Cisco Duo is on the pricey end. However, the other vendors do not have the wide range of features that Cisco Duo offers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There are no alternate solutions that I can think of.
Strong Security with Effortless User Experience
What do you like best about the product?
I like Cisco Duo for its stronger security and minimal efforts required from users. The MFA options, like being able to authenticate with push, SMS, and all, make it really valuable.
What do you dislike about the product?
I dislike the limited offline options provided
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Cisco Duo for MFA, which stops unauthorized access, provides stronger security with minimal effort from users, and offers flexible authentication options like push and SMS.
Keeps Our IT Environment Secure
What do you like best about the product?
It's keeps our system secure especially for it environment
What do you dislike about the product?
I didn't liked it's per user monthly charge plan model
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Keeps our system secure with its 2fa protection which keeps us secure from phishing and cyber attacks
Simple and Effective Protection with Cisco Duo
What do you like best about the product?
What I like most about Cisco Duo is the push feature, which allows me to receive a notification and simply press the approve button, without having to search for and copy a 6-digit code. Additionally, I love that I can use it from my watch, which allows me to approve access without having to take out my phone, saving me from distractions. It is much faster and safer than using slow text messages or searching for passwords in authentication tools.
What do you dislike about the product?
Well, it's that if I don't have my phone on hand, or I ran out of battery, or I don't have my watch on hand, well, my smartwatch, then I'm blocked, and I can't access anything. It would be good to have more backup options that are easy to use without having to contact technical support. The process of changing devices is a bit tedious because you have to go back to and if I don't have the IT administrator, it's necessary. See all those issues, so that's what makes it difficult for me.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Cisco Duo to protect my email accounts, VPN, and CRM, ensuring that the information is secure. It helps me authorize logins easily, quickly, and intuitively, avoiding the issues with text messages that don't always arrive.
Easy to Use and Secure for End Users
What do you like best about the product?
Ease of Use, Ease of Use, and Security for end users
What do you dislike about the product?
Sometimes it gets stuck and is kind of difficult to troubleshoot
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Cisco duo helps to authenticate different type of tools providing security and trust
Effortless Security with Multi-Factor Authentication
What do you like best about the product?
I like how easy Cisco Duo is to use and deploy. The push-based authentication is quick and user-friendly, allowing users to approve access with just one tap, which reduces login delays. The deployment integrates easily with existing systems, saving setup time and effort. We value Duo Push the most because it provides fast, secure authentication with minimal user effort, and its easy integration for VPN and application access. The initial setup was very easy, supported by clear documentation and quick integration into our existing environment. I would rate it a 9 out of 10 because it is very easy to use and secure.
What do you dislike about the product?
Reporting and troubleshooting could be improved, as deeper visibility into authentication issues would make administration easier.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Cisco Duo for secure multi-factor authentication to protect logins and VPN access, preventing unauthorized access. It's easy to deploy and user-friendly with push-based authentication, reducing login delays and integrating well with existing systems. I value Duo Push for its fast, secure authentication.
Super Easy 2FA Install That Adds Strong Security Across Email and Devices
What do you like best about the product?
Cisco Duo is a super easy install for 2FA. It provides an additional layer of security to our email and devices. We find that this works particularly well for all of the different kinds of users in our company, from people who have email only on phones all the way up to actual device log-ons.
What do you dislike about the product?
One of the most frustrating aspects of DUO would be the use of offline codes. This company does not make it easy for the lament user to being to easily connect to the internet without the offline codes. It can be a disaster when people travel and need to connect to a device when there is zero internet.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Cisco Duo adds an extra layer of security with 2FA, helping protect our devices and email.
Seamless Security with Minor Setup Hiccups
What do you like best about the product?
I like how Cisco Duo balances security and convenience. Features like push notifications for quick approval and seamless multi-factor authentication make protecting accounts easy without disrupting daily work. I use Cisco Duo to add an extra layer of security to logins by verifying user identities through multi-factor authentication. It helps prevent unauthorized access while keeping the sign-in process quick and easy for users. Cisco Duo solves the challenge of securing accounts across multiple devices and platforms. It stops unauthorized access in its tracks while making authentication simple and reliable for legitimate users.
What do you dislike about the product?
Occasionally, push notifications can be delayed, and setting up multiple devices could be more intuitive for new users.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Cisco Duo to add an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized access with multi-factor authentication. It secures accounts across devices and platforms while maintaining a simple, reliable sign-in process.
Cisco Duo: Strong, Reliable MFA with Easy Setup and Great Access Visibility
What do you like best about the product?
Cisco Duo is its strong and reliable mulit-factor authentication with an easy setup user friendly interface and excellent visibility into access activity which significantly improves overall security without adding complexity.
What do you dislike about the product?
I dislike that cisco duo can have occasional connectivity issues and adds extra setup complexity for multi-factor authentication.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Cisco Duo solves security and authentication problems by providing multi-factor authentication and verifying devices trust which benefits me by protecting accounts from unauthorized access and reducing the risk of security breaches.
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